July 12th, 2025

The season of Pentecost continues on, and perhaps you already guessed that this Sunday’s title is the “Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.” And the Gospel Reading of Luke 10:25-37 follows quite soon after the Reading of the previous week.

The current writings of this website are also going through the Gospel according to Luke, taking the entire work into account, and giving it in the order in which it was laid out by the writer. No verses will be passed over.

We can see within these verses below, the tension between Jesus and his enemies continues to grow. And in the writing below the two groups will be named. The Tax-collectors and the Sinners are on the side of Jesus. And the Pharisees and the Writers (or Scribes) are on the other side.

Last week’s writing was quite short. This week’s writing is unusual in that it will cover an entire chapter within this Gospel account. This chapter is short enough to do that.
It is thought that these chapter divisions were added to the text in the Middle Ages. It does help to divide the entire account into smaller parts. And this chapter does have an inherent structure in that it deals with a lost sheep, a lost coin, and also a lost son.

Things get lost. More importantly is that, sometimes, people can get lost. Hopefully reading this text will help you “find” someone. And perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that Someone has found us.

If this is the first experience with the writings of this website, the biblical text that is below is an EXTREMELY literal translation of the text, taking into account even the word order of the text in the original language of the New Testament. There are also some words below that have been chosen to show their close connection to the Greek language. And since the writer of this account is a doctor, the words he has chosen are sometimes very rare ones. An attempt was made to have that factor as well reflected in the words below.

All of this was attempted within this translation, and all of this can also cause some confusion as to what the text means. Many different translations of a text are possible. Looking at another translation or a study bible will probably be quite helpful. And here is Luke 15(:1-32):

Now  they-were  to-him  coming-near,  all  the  Tax-collectors  and  the  Sinners,  to-hear  him.  And  they-were-thoroughly-murmuring,  both  the  Pharisees  and  the  Writers,  saying,  “This-man,  sinners,  he-receives,  and  he-eats-with  them.”

Now  he-spoke  toward  them  the  parable,  this,  saying,  “What  man  from  you,  having  a-hundred  sheep,  and  having-lost  from  them,  one,  not  does-he-leave-down  the  ninety  nine  in  the  desert,  and  he-travels  upon  the-one  having-been-lost  until  he-finds  it?  And  having-found,  he-places-upon,  upon  the  shoulders  of-him,  rejoicing,  and  having-come  into  the  house,  he-calls-together  the  loving-friends  and  the  neighbors,  saying  to-them,  ‘Rejoice-with  me,  because  I-found  the  sheep,  my,  the-one  having-been-lost.’  I-am-saying  to-you  that  so  joy  in  the  heaven  it-will-be,  upon  one  sinner  repenting,  than  over  ninety  nine  righteous  who,  no  need  they-have  of-repentance.” 

“Or  what  woman,  drachmas  having,  ten,  if  she-loses  a-drachma,  one,  not  does-she-light  a-lamp,  and  she-sweeps  the  house,  and  she-seeks  carefully  until  which  she-finds?  And  having-found,  she-calls-together  the-loving-friends  and  neighbors  saying,  ‘Rejoice-with  me,  because  I-found  the  drachma  which  I-lost.’ So,  I-am-saying  to-you,  it-happens,  joy  in-front-of  the  angels  of-the  God  upon  one  sinner  repenting.”

Now  he-said,  “A-man,  a-certain-one,  he-had  two  sons.  And  he-said,  the  younger  of-them  to-the  father,  ‘Father,  give  to-me  the  falling-upon  part  of-the  substance.’  Now  the-one  divided  to-them  the-living.  And  after  not  many  days,  having-synagogued  all-things,  the  younger  son  traveled-abroad  into  a-country,  macron,  and  there  he-thoroughly-scattered  the  substance  of-him,  living  prodigally.  Now  having-spent,  he,  all-things,  it-happened  a-famine,  a-strong-one,  throughout  the  country,  that;  and  he,  he-began  to-hysterect.  And  having-traveled,  he-was-joined  to-one  of-the  politics  of-the  country,  that;  and  he-sent  him  into  the  fields  of-him  to-feed  pigs;  and  he-was-desiring  to-be-fed  from  the  husks  which  they-were-eating,  the  pigs;  and  no-one  was-giving  to-him.  Now  into  himself  having-come,  he-responded,  ‘How-many  hired-workers  of-the  father,  my,  they-have-an-abundance  of-breads;  now  I,  with-famine  here,  I-am-perishing.  Having-risen-up,  I-will-go  toward  the  father,  my;  and  I-will-say  to-him, “Father,  I-sinned  into  the  heaven  and  in-front-of  you,  no-longer  I-am  worthy  to-be-called  a-son  of-you;  make  me  as  one  of-the  hired-workers  of-you.”’  And  having-risen-up,  he-traveled  toward  the  father  of-him.  Now  yet,  he,  macron  being-away,  he-saw  him,  the  father  of-him,  and  the-intestines-hurt,  and  having-run,  he-fell-upon,  upon  the  neck  of-him,  and  he-fervently-kissed  him.  Now  he-said,  the  son  to-him,  ‘Father,  I-sinned  into  the  heaven  and  in-front-of  you;  no-longer  I-am  worthy  to-be-called  a-son  of-you.’  Now  he-said,  the  father  toward  the  servants  of-him,  ‘Quickly  carry-out  a-robe,  the  proton,  and  clothe  him,  and  give  a-ring  into  the  hand  of-him,  and  sandals  into  the  feet,  and  carry  the  calf,  the  fattened,  slaughter,  and  having-eaten,  let-us-be-merry,  because  this,  the  son  of-me,  dead  he-was,  and  he-lived-again,  he-was  having-been-lost,  and  he-was-found.’  And  they-began  to-be-merry.”

“Now  he-was,  the  son  of-him,  the  presbyter,  in  a-field,  and  as  coming,  he-came-near  to-the  house,  he-heard   a-symphonia  and  dances,  and  having-called-toward  one  of-the  children,  he-was-inquiring  what  might  be  these-things.  Now  the-one  said  to-him,  ‘The  brother  of-you,  he-has-come,  and  he-slaughtered  the  father  of-you  the  calf,  the  fattened,  because  being-healthy,  him,  he-received-back.’  Now  he-was-angry,  and  not  he-was-willing  to-come-into;  now  the  father  of-him,  having-come-out,  he-paracleted  him.  Now  the-one  having-answered,  he-said  to-the  father,  his,  ‘Look,  so-many  years  I-served  you  and  never  a-command  of-you  I-came-past,  and  to-me  never  you-gave  a-goat,  that  with  the  loving-friends  of-me  I-might-be-merry;  now  when  the  son  of-you,  this,  the-one  having-devoured  of-you  the  living  with  porn,  he-came;  you-slaughtered  for-him  the  fattened  calf.’  Now  the-one  said  to-him,  ‘Little-child,  you  always  with  me,  you-are;  and  all-things  the  my,  yours  it-is;  now  to-be-merry  and  to-rejoice,  it-was-necessary;  because  the  brother  of-you,  this,  dead  he-was,  and  he-lives;  and  having-been-lost,  and  he-was-found.’”
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Have you ever tried to run in a long robe? Have your intestines ever hurt because of your love for another? Have you ever fallen on someone’s neck? Have you ever fervently kissed? How very different is the love of our Father in heaven!